Infrared Radiation in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere: Energetic Effects and Remote Sensing

• Published in: Surveys in geophysics Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 1231 - 1280
• Main Authors: Feofilov, Artem G., Kutepov, Alexander A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.11.2012; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag (Germany)
• Subjects: Astronomy; Atmosphere; Atmospherics; Carbon dioxide; Cooling; Cooling rate; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Geophysics; Geophysics/Geodesy; Heating; Heating rate; Infrared radiation; Mathematical models; Mesosphere; Observations and Techniques; Ocean, Atmosphere; Radiation measurement; Remote sensing; Sciences of the Universe; Thermodynamics; Thermosphere; Mesosphere lower thermosphere; Infrared energy; Radiative transfer
• ISSN: 0169-3298; 1573-0956
• DOI: 10.1007/s10712-012-9204-0

This paper discusses the formation mechanisms of infrared radiation in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), the energetic effects of the radiative absorption/emission processes, and the retrieval of atmospheric parameters from infrared radiation measurements. In the MLT and above, the vibrational levels of the molecules involved in radiative transitions are not in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) with the surrounding medium, and this then requires specific theoretical treatment. The non-LTE models for CO 2 , O 3 , and H 2 O molecules are presented, and the radiative cooling/heating rates estimated for five typical atmospheric scenarios, from polar winter to polar summer, are shown. An optimization strategy for calculating the cooling/heating rates in general circulation models is proposed, and its accuracy is estimated for CO 2 . The sensitivity of the atmospheric quantities retrieved from infrared observations made from satellites to the non-LTE model parameters is shown.